


Distant, like the Moon

by Hinalilly



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fluff and Feels, M/M, just a sweet little story, probably not what you expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-13
Updated: 2014-05-13
Packaged: 2018-01-24 14:05:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1607837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hinalilly/pseuds/Hinalilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Haruka wanted was to see that sight again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distant, like the Moon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hoshinokonpeito](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoshinokonpeito/gifts).



> What. What do you mean I wrote a oneshot that's actually less than 20... no, 10k long. Yes, I _can_ hear the angels singing in praise for this miracle of the universe. Let's hope this means my writer's block is _finally_ gone. References to a lot of random stuff I like ~~and a lot of repetitions. Yep~~.
> 
> Fairy tales might just be my thing. Enjoy!

 

 

_"Check this out, Haru!"_

_Specks of light flickered on the surface of two wide, bright blue eyes, mirroring the erratic movement of the couple of fireflies caught in the small, transparent jar. Their glow danced in the dark of the night, reflecting off the glass, and tracing warm patterns on the wine-red hair of their captor, his white teeth showing in a large grin. Haruka’s stare was fixed on the little bugs, watching them fly around nervously, and accidentally caught the equally bright gaze of the boy crouching opposite of him through the glass. In that instant, that toothy grin grew wider and, with delicate precision, the boy twisted the container open, letting the fireflies roam free in the cool air of the forest. Haruka watched as the two bugs quickly flew away, the tiny dots of light doubled by their reflection on the still waters of the lake. The red-haired boy stood almost instantly afterwards, kicking his sneakers off and rolling his trousers up to his knees, and threw another grin in Haruka’s direction._

_“There’s something else I can do,” he declared, confidence brimming in his posture. Haruka kept watching, entranced by the other boy as he, too, like the fireflies, headed towards the lake with a strong spring in his step. Water splashed around his feet, and Haruka stood as well—he could have sworn the boy had a glow of his own, his silhouette casting a light in the darkness as he turned to face him, his smile ever-inviting and enticing. “Come! I’ll show you!”_

_Haruka took a deep breath, and walked towards the water._

  

* * *

 

Haruka wished every single day that he could be an ordinary person, leading an ordinary life. He didn’t care for formalities or responsibilities or other people in general. He would be content simply waking up in the mornings, enjoying a relaxing bath and a quiet breakfast, maybe exchanging a few words with Makoto before he went on with his day. A little reading, lunch, perhaps some drawing, maybe taking a walk, soaking in the bath, dinner, and sleep. He didn’t need much to be content. He would probably be happy anywhere as long as he had access to water and mackerel, Makoto would often say.

Haruka didn’t care for people in general, but Makoto was alright; he knew when to make conversation and when Haruka needed some time to be alone, and he never pushed him into making any difficult decisions. Makoto knew what to say and how to listen, and Haruka wished that more people were like him, that more people would trust him to make the right choice when the time arrived.

Haruka’s parents were not like Makoto.

Haruka’s parents had the awful habit of forcing decision upon decision onto him, and the even worse habit of making those decisions _for_ him when the first step either failed to take effect, or when Haruka’s choices were deemed unsatisfactory for the well-being of the family. Thus, Haruka had never bothered to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, seeing as his parents would eventually make all arrangements in his stead.

As it was, selecting his career path for him had apparently not been enough (though Haruka didn’t really mind that particular intrusion much, as there were very few things he was sincerely interested in), because now the decision-making had reached the inevitable topic of marriage. Haruka didn’t care for people in general, much less for a partner in particular. But his parents insisted that Haruka was old enough to get married, and if his parents thought so, then it was pointless for him to argue against them. Instead, he sat through every single appointment, meeting every single hand-picked partner as courteously as he could and, after a day or two, got ready to move on to the next.

Initially, his parents hadn’t been too surprised when the first couple of matchups didn’t work out. They had certainly raised their eyebrows when the following couple of them turned out to be failures, as well. When the third and fourth groups of carefully selected suitors failed to produce any results either, they had been a little confused, and perhaps slightly angry.

By that point, the entire town was aware of how insanely difficult it was to court Nanase Haruka.

He wasn’t particularly unpleasant; quite the contrary, he had been taught good manners and was quite smart, perfectly able to hold his own end of a conversation, should he bother to take part in it. He was graceful, independent, and skilled in many different areas, not to mention pleasing to the eye.

The problem wasn’t that Haruka didn’t give his would-be partners a single chance to prove themselves worthy of his hand before rejecting them. The problem was that he _did_ , and they all failed.

It didn’t always happen on the first meeting. Depending on the person, and how well they could hold Haruka’s interest (which, more often than not, was a feat in itself), two or three days could go by before said person was utterly discouraged from their conquest. It took one question, an obvious answer, and one request, and Haruka was free to enjoy his slow life on his own again, until the next suitor was inevitably shoved into his face.

 

“Before I say yes, could you do something for me?”

_Of course. Anything. Sure! Say the word._ The usual.

“I want you to bring me the moon.”

 

Makoto often wondered out loud what prompted Haruka to make such an impossible request, but Haruka never saw the need to answer, and Makoto never pressed any further than simple curiosity. If everyone else guessed it was his way of keeping marriage vows away without flat-out rejecting whoever laid their eyes on him, then he didn’t mind. Haruka had never really cared for the things people said about him, or the rumors that continued to spread after each failed attempt at courtship. He didn’t really care about his parents’ growing frustration with the issue, either. To be honest, Haruka didn’t really care about marriage. He just really, really wanted the moon.

Haruka didn’t really care about obligations, or people in general, or rumors, or marriage, but he did care about the moon, and the boy who had placed it in his hands so many years ago.

 

* * *

 

_“You can’t.”_

_“Of course I can!” The boy snorted, the still water almost up to his knees, while Haruka stared at him warily from the edge of the lake, toes barely disturbing the surface. Red hair shone in the moonlight as the boy walked a little deeper in, turning around to motion for Haruka to follow him. “Come on! I can’t show you unless you come with me.”_

_With a sigh, Haruka lifted his yukata a little bit higher, making sure it wouldn’t get drenched, and walked carefully into the water, the cold prickling his skin, fresh and welcome. The other boy smiled victoriously and moved further into the lake, stopping after a few steps to wait until Haruka caught up with him._

_“You can’t,” Haruka repeated once they were standing side by side again, and the smile on the boy’s face grew even wider._

_“Look,” was all he said, taking Haruka’s hands in his._

_Haruka did, and his eyes widened in unison with the boy’s grin._

 

* * *

 

Matsuoka Rin.

That was the name that went with the wine-colored hair, the blazing eyes, and the (completely new) sharp teeth that spelled challenge in a cocky grin.

It was strangely ironic, how little both Haruka and Rin had been looking forward to their mutual meeting, and yet, the very moment their gazes had landed on each other’s, an unstoppable sense of déjà vu had taken over the entire room. Haruka, eyes wide in shock as he stared at an older version of the very same boy that had kept him safely away from tying his life with another’s all this time. And Rin… he wasn’t entirely sure what was going through Rin’s head. Never had been—he hadn’t even gotten his name in the past. (Haruka, too, aside from his nickname, had neglected a proper introduction, when he thought about it.)

There was, in fact, very little that Haruka knew about him.

Rin was older now. Taller. Looked stronger. More handsome. He had seemed exceedingly bored and annoyed about the entire situation until he had bothered to lift his eyes to stare at his would-be fiancé—at Haruka’s face. He had smiled then, grinned, and if there had been even the tiniest speck of doubt in Haruka’s mind about his identity, that gesture alone had erased it completely. The change in him was evident, but that expression was still the same. The feelings it caused in Haruka were still the same.

And Rin was the one person who could successfully bring him the moon.

Haruka wondered if Rin remembered how to do it, or if he remembered him at all. Rin’s eyes said yes, he did, but his words and his body language said otherwise; they were in direct contradiction to what Haruka recalled of him. (Perhaps time had sweetened those memories, made them fonder than they originally were.) Rin’s entire demeanor spoke of cockiness and detachment, of complete disinterest in the idea of an arranged marriage itself (Haruka could relate to that, really), but also of a thirst for success, for showing that he could do what no person before him had been able to.

It was frustrating to think that Rin seemed more interested in proving he was the best than in Haruka himself.

“Isn’t this the time when you ask me to do something crazy for you?” The tone of his voice was smug, as if he already knew what was coming, and he was completely ready for it.

It was frustrating and a little annoying, and Haruka wanted nothing more than to turn around and pretend Rin wasn’t there, to tell him no, there was nothing he needed from him, because if Rin had truly forgotten, then it was clear that he hadn’t missed Haruka as much as Haruka had missed him. And that was precisely why, instead of asking Rin if he wasn’t just _pretending_ not to remember him, Haruka decided to go along with it.

“Show me a sight I’ve never seen before.”

It was extremely gratifying to see Rin’s eyes widening in surprise as soon as the words left his mouth.

Haruka had decided to go along with it, but that didn’t mean he was going to make it any easier for him to fulfill his request.

 

* * *

 

Rin was back the following day, with a stone bowl in his hands and a grin plastered on his face. Haruka sat in silence, directing a judging and rather confused stare at his latest suitor, while Rin chattered on and on about how this gift was only just the beginning. He inspected the bowl that had been presented to him, wordlessly, before Rin retrieved it to immediately place it between the two of them. Rin never stopped talking as he poured a liquid that looked like water into it, but instead shone brilliantly when it caught the light in the right angle, almost as if the most minuscule pearl particles had been mixed into it. When Haruka looked inside after it had been filled to the brim, the bowl seemed to be giving out a subdued, holy glow.

It was rather pretty, but Haruka wasn’t particularly impressed.

 

 

The next day saw Rin smiling again as he walked with confidence towards Haruka, offering him an item wrapped in a soft, velvety cloth. Upon unwrapping it, Haruka found a beautiful brooch shaped in the form of a cherry blossom branch, with delicate flowers fashioned from pale pink jewels. A casual mention of how well it went with Haruka’s eyes, and Haruka almost caved into asking Rin if he remembered fireflies, and lakes, and short night escapades in the forest.

But the brooch was only beautiful—beautiful, yes, but nothing more, and thus Haruka stayed silent.

 

 

On the fourth day, Rin did not come. It reminded Haruka of sleepless nights, a boring life, and a boy who had made a lot of promises, only to disappear soon afterwards, thus Haruka stayed silent again.

(But there was so much he wanted to say.)

 

 

The fifth day arrived, and Rin appeared before Haruka once again. He was carrying a deep red haori with him, which he wrapped over Haruka’s shoulders, all the while complaining about the lengths which he had gone to in order to acquire it. It was warm, the warmest Haruka had ever worn. The fabric felt light but cozy at the same time, like sitting by the fire on the stove on a cold morning, like a toothy grin in a chilly forest clearing. Rin’s hands on his shoulders were warm as well, and Haruka almost asked him to stay for dinner, to watch the afternoon sky together as the colors diluted into darkness and flickers of light.

But while he was undoubtedly warm, Rin had left Haruka waiting without so much as a warning, and Haruka saw it fit to ask him to leave instead.

 

 

Rin arrived earlier than expected the following day. Haruka would have been irritated by his suddenness if the timing of the visit hadn’t been to his advantage, for it caused the words of fond concern over Haruka’s evident interest in Rin to die out in Makoto’s mouth before he could even finish speaking them. In Rin’s hand this time was a large, round marble, bright colors etched into the translucent surface, and the patterns that painted the walls as Rin moved it reminded Haruka of red hair flowing in the wind, ripples of water, and starry skies. He almost spoke, but it was Rin himself who cut him off this time, admitting that he was saving the best for last, and that he simply had to show Haruka without fail.

Rin walked away out of his own accord that day, and Haruka was left with an unspoken request on the tip of his tongue.

 

 

It was the seventh day since Rin had first returned, since Haruka had first seen him again after all those years, when he showed up at Haruka’s house, secretly, in the middle of the night, like he had always used to. Haruka wasn’t drowsy, as the irritation of another day ending without a visit had left him wide awake, and when Rin attempted to sneak into his backyard, Haruka had no trouble in catching him red-handed. Rin didn’t attempt to excuse himself for his lateness, and Haruka didn’t ask him to. Instead, he followed his red hair and his bright smile in the darkness, through familiar, overgrown paths and bamboo thickets, deep into the forest. He watched wordlessly, standing in a clearing that felt more like home than the house he had just walked out of, as Rin took a small, rounded shell from his pocket, gesturing for Haruka to come closer. Rin held out the shell, the surface smooth and clear and polished to perfection, and placed it in Haruka’s open hand.

“Look,” he said, taking Haruka’s hand in his, and holding it out towards the pale light of the moon.

Haruka did, and his eyes widened at the sight.

There, in his very palm, reflecting off the surface of the pale shell, was a small, almost imperceptible bow of light, fragile and delicate, curving over the bumps of his fingers, as if threatening to disappear at the smallest touch. The colors were missing, and Rin was cheating again, but the message was clearer than ever this time, in that place that belonged to them and to their memories.

Haruka raised his eyes to find Rin’s own staring eagerly at him, a hint of an uncertain smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and the words left him before he could realize he was speaking them.

“Make a rainbow for me,” he said, and the smile that blossomed on Rin’s face was a wondrous sight all in itself.

 

* * *

 

_Haruka stood in middle of the shallow lake, his hands still held tightly by the other boy, and his eyes wide as he watched the moon around them, its reflection rippling slowly on the water._

_“That’s cheating,” he muttered through a small pout, and the boy laughed, bending a little to scoop some water into Haruka’s hands._

_“I said I could bring the moon down for you,” he smiled, gesturing with his head towards Haruka’s outstretched hands. Inside them, a tiny version of the full moon overhead danced in the water, “and I did.”_

_Haruka watched it in silence until the last drops of water fell through his tightly knit fingers, and soon enough the boy’s hands were around his again._

_“Next time—” The boy’s cheerful voice broke off suddenly, but a smile was quick to resurface on his lips. “Next time, I’ll make rainbows for you!”_

_‘…You can’t’ was what Haruka wanted to say but, this time, he wasn’t so sure. Instead, he settled for a simple nod._

_“You’ll wait for me, right?” The smile became wider in return, and while Haruka had been practically blinded by it, he still noticed the slight tinge of sadness that colored that voice that brought him so much annoyance and so much comfort at the same time._

_So Haruka waited._

* * *

 

It just so happened that Rin did know how to make rainbows, after all.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> One afternoon at a restaurant, a rainbow reflected off the window right on top of my hand. It was one of the most randomly cool things that have ever happened to me.
> 
> On another random day, [Alba](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hoshinokonpeito) said to me on Skype "If Haru asked for the moon, Rin would bring it to him." Thus this story was born. Many, many thanks for the lovely plotbunny. This one goes out to you!
> 
>  
> 
> For those of you who might still be wondering, this story is very loosely based on _The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter_ (aka Princess Kaguya's story, and her Five Impossible Requests). Thank you for reading!


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